Nearly 600 million children will live in areas with extremely limited water resources by 2040 - UNICEF

Some 600 million children – or 1 in 4 children worldwide – will be living in areas with extremely limited water resources by 2040, according to a UNICEF report released on World Water Day.

The report, Thirsting for a Future: Water and children in a changing climate, looks at the  threats to children’s lives and wellbeing caused by depleted sources of safe water and the ways climate change will intensify these risks in coming years.

“Water is elemental; without it, nothing can grow. But around the world, millions of children lack access to safe water - endangering their lives, undermining their health, and jeopardizing their futures. This crisis will only grow unless we take collective action now,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.

According to the report, 36 countries are currently facing extremely high levels of water stress, which occurs when demand for water far exceeds the renewable supply available. Warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, increased floods, droughts and melting ice affect the quality and availability of water as well as sanitation systems.

Population growth, increased water consumption, and higher demand for water largely due to industrialization and urbanization are draining water resources worldwide. Conflicts in many parts of the world also threaten children’s access to safe water.  All of these factors force children to use unsafe water, which exposes them to potentially deadly diseases like cholera and diarrhoea.

According to the recent evidence, in Turkmenistan despite arid and hot climate, around 82% of households use improved sources of drinking water (Multiple-Indicator Cluster Survey 2015). Handwashing with water and soap is the most cost effective health intervention to reduce both the incidence of pneumonia and diarrhea. If not treated, it leads to under-nutrition among under-five children. Thus, this is key to saving lives of children who are otherwise susceptible to avoidable deaths.

Ms. Shaheen Nilofer, Representative, UNICEF Turkmenistan highlighted, “In Turkmenistan UNICEF works with the Government on school based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and it is imperative that we address the impact of climate change on children by resilient development on climate change adaptation and greening initiatives in schools and communities. Children are powerful agents of social change. When empowered and educated on climate change children can work towards making their lives safer and their communities more resilient to disasters and contribute to sustainable development.”

The impact of climate change on water sources is not inevitable, UNICEF says. The report concludes with a series of recommendations that can help curb the impact of climate change on the lives of children. Such measures include:

• Governments need to plan for changes in water availability and demand in the coming years; Above all, it means prioritizing the most vulnerable children’s access to safe water above other water needs to maximize social and health outcomes.
• Climate risks should be integrated into all water and sanitation-related policies and services, and investments should to target high-risk populations.
• Businesses need to work with communities to prevent contamination and depletion of safe water sources.
• Communities themselves should explore ways to diversify water sources and to increase their capacity to store water safely.

“In a changing climate, we must change the way we work to reach those who are most vulnerable. One of the most effective ways we can do that is safeguarding their access to safe water,” Lake said.